In an interview with the Hawzah News Agency in Sari, Hojatoleslam Mohammadnejad Omran emphasized the unparalleled status of the Hadith of Ghadir within the epistemological framework of the faith. He stated that the event is not a simple narration but a truth deeply rooted across all branches of Islamic sciences, including lexicography, history, poetry, hadith, exegesis, and theology. Without considering Ghadir, he argued, Islamic thought remains incomplete and deficient.
Pointing to the engagement of lexicographers and historians with this landmark occasion, he noted that prominent Arab philologists inevitably turn to the Ghadir event when defining terms such as mawla and wali. Similarly, major Muslim chroniclers have centered their accounts of the tenth Hijri year on the occurrences at Ghadir Khumm. In the realm of literature, he added, celebrated poets composed enduring verses from the very moment the tradition was proclaimed. The esteemed scholar Allamah Amini, in his monumental work Al-Ghadir, documented the names and works of over one hundred such poets, preserving a living testimony to the event’s permanence.
The religious expert further stated that prominent Quranic commentators have extensively discussed the Hadith of Ghadir when interpreting verses such as the Verse of the Perfection of Religion and the Verse of Proclamation in Surah Al-Ma'idah. In doctrinal debates, theologians also cite this hadith as the most authoritative rational and textual proof for the Imamate of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him). This demonstrates the all-encompassing reach of this event within Islamic thought.
Hojatoleslam Mohammadnejad noted that the first special emphasis on Ghadir was placed by God Almighty Himself. He argued that the verses of the Holy Quran clearly testify to the day's importance. The Almighty, through the revelation of the Verse of Proclamation, commanded the Holy Prophet to convey a momentous truth; had this not been carried out, the prophetic mission would have remained unfulfilled. This divine urgency compelled the Prophet to design a wise plan to deliver the message before thousands of Muslims, blocking any path to future oblivion or distortion in history.
Following the passing of the Holy Prophet, the Immaculate Imams became the primary standard-bearers in disseminating and propagating the Hadith of Ghadir, the professor asserted. Imam Ali personally reminded those present of this truth on various occasions, including during the Six-Member Council and the caliphate of Uthman. The Lady of Light, Fatima Zahra, also assisted the Imam along this path, bearing witness to the rightfulness of Ghadir to ensure that this firm document of divine authority remained etched in the community's historical memory.
Highlighting the significance of the Rahbah event in Kufa, the seminary professor described it as one of the most brilliant measures taken by Imam Ali during his apparent rule. He gathered the people in Kufa and requested testimony from witnesses of Ghadir. On that day, dozens of companions of the Holy Prophet rose and explicitly testified to having heard the Hadith of Ghadir. This sagacious move by the Imam served as a decisive response to efforts aimed at consigning Ghadir to oblivion.
Hojatoleslam Mohammadnejad Omran also recalled how Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba and Imam Hussein (peace be upon them) invoked Ghadir as a proof to clarify the station of the Ahl al-Bayt during sensitive political junctures. After his peace treaty with Muawiyah, Imam Hasan reminded the people through Ghadir that he remained their true Imam and that the transfer of political rule was solely to preserve the interests of the Ummah. Meanwhile, in the plain of Mina, before hundreds of companions and successors, Imam Hussein delivered a radiant sermon, once again affirming the right of the Ahl al-Bayt to divine authority based on the covenant of Ghadir.
He concluded by affirming that the Hadith of Ghadir serves as the identity document of Shiism and the scale for distinguishing truth from falsehood. Safeguarding this precious heritage is a universal duty, he stressed, so that under the banner of devotion to divine authority, the path toward perfection and felicity for Islamic society may be paved. Ghadir teaches us that religion reaches its ultimate perfection only through the union of prophethood and imamate, and we must convey this message to the world using the language of the age.
Your Comment